Yes! ;-) Mentally! You can continue to be happy, curious, honest, kind and what-not....

Obviously, when we talk about shaping our lives, we are not talking about certain things that are inevitable. All of us will die...all of us will fall ill....all of us will have challenges....but the way we react to it and the way we learn from it and proactively develop ourselves will determine how we lead our lives. If we were to resign ourselves to leading pre-destined lives there is nothing much that we can do...! If Gandhi had imagined that we were destined to be ruled by the English forever, we would still be slaves...

We'll have to agree to disagree, friend. :-) I think you're underestimating the power of your mind as bestowed upon you by Him. If he decided everything no one would make mistakes...no one would rob, kill or cause harm to others. We would not be witnessing the death of our environment today. We are facing the consequences of our foolishness, wrong intentions and so on. I believe there are some things you can't change but there's a whole lot that ONLY you can decide to change or leave untouched. Your role may be cut out for something....true (you have your natural strengths for example) but you also have the ability to learn and improve. Not everything is inborn. It is you who needs to set a goal and then work hard towards achieving it. You can't decide where you'll be born but you can decide where you want to live. If you really want it and your intentions are great, then God - I believe - has given you a freehand and power to achieve it!

Does He decide whether you'll pass or fail in a subject at school? Does He decide what you'll have for breakfast? Does He decide whether you'll fall ill or not? Does he decide whether you'll exercise or not? He wants you to lead your life and has given you the power to do it. Were you to need His help and guidance...then He's available! :-) That's what I think! No one knows the truth...but we all have experiences that shape our thoughts and perspectives. This is where I am coming from....not to convince you but just to express what I believe in. :-) Anyway, dialogues like these sometimes reveal aspects that one has never considered....so it's good to have such a conversation! :-)

Interesting diversion! :-) I understand Maya in the context of Bhagavad Gita but not in the context of what we are talking. Maya is generally mentioned in the context of our material attachments in this world and the fact that everything is temporary and not permanent...but has no implication on our capacities or abilities to direct our lives.Maya is also mentioned in the context of our assuming that there are differences between each of us whereas the reality is supposed to be the underlying unity and oneness of mankind!

I refuse to believe that each and every action that the billions of people this world is inhabited by is controlled by one power. We are not programs. We are organic entities that can grow and evolve based on our own circumstances, situations, background and mental inclination. I think we need to take responsibility for our own actions and face the consequences...which we are!! But I do believe that there is a supernatural power that we can tap into for inspiration, guidance and love! A sample of that power is within each of us and it is up to us to make use of it! PS: I am really beginning to enjoy this discussion, Hobo! You are making me think hard and articulate my thoughts! :-)

nice post...well, i found your comments more interesting..I will just add up this lines of Stephen Hawking,Is everything determined? He says,” yes, it is. But it might as well not be, because we can never know what is determined. “ so whatever has happenend was destined.and what is going to happen is not known...

Due to heisenberg uncertainity principle we can never be sure what is going to be next. But what is going to be next is followed by the complex mathematical differential equation with certain initial condition.

I once standing at 12,000 ft. saw around And found the existence of mine almost Zero even smaller than an ant.Mountains, deep valleys, huge forest, ice, sky, sun - Huge creation by creator And ME - nothing.The problem : We do not want to believe/accept yes, we are nothing.

Thanks. i am more interested in comments which are truly intelectual. i am a true believer in existiantial philosphy. True follower of HENRY MILLER and Colin Wilson etc. That is why I am trying to leanrn html at this advanced age.

Hey...Hobo: Did not get any mail from you. Sorry for not making it easy for you! :-P Anyway, looks like you were not able to locate my ID from the column on the right hand side. It is nirmala dot pal at gmail dot com. :-)

Amit: Welcome to this blog and thanks a ton for leaving your thoughts here :-) Hawking's quote is indeed intriguing. I simply don't have a response to that. If we anyway never know what is determined maybe we can try our best and influence what is about to happen! :-) God might listen! :-))

But what you say about the initial condition does make sense. If we are born in India as opposed to say some part of China, our lives, philosophies, learnings, attitude et al is obviously going to be attuned to conditions in India! I guess there are millions of such examples about things being dependent on the initial condition, but I firmly believe we can influence things based on our own goals and intentions.

Hobo: I love the experience you have just shared with us. I love such experiences - to be with nature and realize its magnificence and awesomeness. But take this from me....the VERY FACT that God has allowed you to experience nature, drench and drown in it and enjoy it means you are blessed. It is not about insignificance or zeroness but about allowing yourself to be inspired by nature! We could raise ourselves to that level of purity! It is not about accepting we are nothing....we may feel like we are nothing many a time....but I think we must accept that God ha to given us a life that we must value and given us a purpose as well! It is up to us to make use of it and show that we can add value to the world! I am not sure I have articulated it properly to you but what I am saying we must be humble but at the same time pursue great goals and make use of this wonderful opportunity called life. I believe in Vivekananda's statement *"Accept the whole responsibility for your actions and accept that you can be the creator of your own destiny!"* :-))

At professional workspace though, I do see a lot of human errors (sometimes irreparable) committed simply because people attempt things without the right training or without the right tools, causing monetary lose (vs. a spend) and rework. Personally, One should attempt things only if they willing to carry on the responsibility of the action and to see the action to its logical end...That's just me and my black hat :)

"To be or not to be that is the question", or is it undue pondering on the "what if" that stops us. Or is it just social conditioning that demands peer approval before an action is taken. Does anyone have to tell us to breathe, to live, to be? No, then why the wait for other things. Some actions that we take post decisions may not result in what we thought they would, but does that make them any less important. We learn from our decisions and actions and we grow into better (most of the time) people. Growth comes from deciding and acting..."I think therefore I am", should ideally lead to I do (decision/execution), therefore I become. Living is a decision and a big risk. But we live...

Crimzee: Very valid argument...I've often pondered over leading an ideal existence in organizations and why we commit so many blunders...now, I am more accepting of the inevitable uncertainties and mistakes we make! But I love your thought on being responsible and sincere to the task assigned! If only all of us were to be so...!

OK...so who knows the answer??? Come out with it. Is there something called free will or not? When you have multiple options that you can pursue when something happens to you, what makes you decide on what you decide? Is it free will or a program that follows its only natural path?

That's a god metaphor, Hobo! I think you hit the nail on the head. What I'd like to believe is that the director lets the actor bring in his own ideas and creativity to the table. He does not treat the author as a plain puppet but as a smart participant in the show! :-)

(What I'd like to believe is that the director lets the actor bring in his own ideas and creativity to the table. He does not treat the author as a plain puppet but as a smart participant in the show!)

I do not know what God thinks but certainly he is above our way of thinking. That is why I believe - Mano to dev nahi to patthar

Life is not about answer, stop searching for a general answer of problems. The questions are specfic and unique to each individual.. it is always to and fro between yes and no. This is the dwikhandit nature of human being. What you did yesterday stays with you today--- existence precedes essence. And free will is always there but your action is connected to so many people, that it reflects back to you with their reaction. And What might have been abstract,the remaining is perpetual.No end of this war of words..peace

About Me

In search of my most important mission ...meanwhile the motto is "Millions of mad, muddled, merry, mischievous, mesmerized, mean, marvellous and menacing monkeys on a mysterious and mind-blowing mission to Mesopotamia". ("Mamma Mia!" did you say? ;-)) Does that make any sense? If it does, you must be one in a million, umm, monkeys! Hold on! Just kidding, you know! OK, I guess I must confess that my motto actually is...."Love, Laugh and Learn!!" ;-) And, btw, Music may have no language but it sure happens to be my Mother Tongue.

3,2,1...Go!

This blog would love to meet introspective, life-loving and enthusiastic folks and book lovers. If you are aPlum(PG Wodehouse)/ C&H (Calvin and Hobbes)/Swami Vivekananda/Ilayarajafan, we may be one of a kind...!

herE GOes......

I enjoy being creative. Creativity, to me, is the best thing in life...! And...my love for life and learning are two great intrinsic motivators.

I have wanted to be almost everything in the world - a detective, an astronaut, a teacher, a scientist, an architect...a leader...a director, a musician, a painter, a singer, an ornithologist - you name it! To cut a long story short, the only thing I did not want to be was a Doctor! :) But destiny wanted me to be a KM professional. And I love being one!

I have a passion for the paradoxes and mysteries of life! I enjoy and cherish dreaming of magnificient achievements...those that have the potential to make the world a better place to live in!

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